Weird Lights Issue
Thread Starter
Launching!
iTrader: (2)
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 272
Likes: 1
From: Palm Harbor, Florida
Weird Lights Issue Hey guys,
I just fired up the car after it has been sitting in the garage for 3 months.I hooked the battery up again and I was about to drive away when i noticed that the lighting in front of the car wasnt that bright. I turned off the fog lights and noticed the headlights werent on at all. When i popped the hood to try and see why, i noticed that the rest of the lights (fog, running lights, and dome light) kept dimming. When looking at the battery voltage gauge, every 4 seconds it would drop and the lights would dim.
My headlights and fog lights have HID bulbs 9006 from DDM Tuning. They are 55 watt, 6k bulbs and both sets have the relay harness. Im not just concerned why the headlights arent turning on as much as I dont know why the power keeps surging every 4 seconds. I figure the power doesnt quite build up enough for the headlight ballasts to power up. Do you guys have any ideas??
I just fired up the car after it has been sitting in the garage for 3 months.I hooked the battery up again and I was about to drive away when i noticed that the lighting in front of the car wasnt that bright. I turned off the fog lights and noticed the headlights werent on at all. When i popped the hood to try and see why, i noticed that the rest of the lights (fog, running lights, and dome light) kept dimming. When looking at the battery voltage gauge, every 4 seconds it would drop and the lights would dim.
My headlights and fog lights have HID bulbs 9006 from DDM Tuning. They are 55 watt, 6k bulbs and both sets have the relay harness. Im not just concerned why the headlights arent turning on as much as I dont know why the power keeps surging every 4 seconds. I figure the power doesnt quite build up enough for the headlight ballasts to power up. Do you guys have any ideas??
Thread Starter
Launching!
iTrader: (2)
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 272
Likes: 1
From: Palm Harbor, Florida
Update: I went out today and tried it again and drove it around. Car ran fine and I never had the surging voltage meter, it stayed right at 14 volts. Then when I got in the driveway, I tried turning on the headlights and the problem started again. The surging came back and the lights would dim. Once again the headlights never turned on. So it must be something tied in with the headlights or wiring. It kept doing it last night because of the auto-headlights, but now in the daylight when the lights arent on, I have no issues.
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 555
Likes: 0
From: NearHouston, TX
just curious if the headlights work fine with the motor off, just running off the battery. I was having some charging issues and upgraded to a Altima yellow top and power bastards alternator
Thread Starter
Launching!
iTrader: (2)
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 272
Likes: 1
From: Palm Harbor, Florida
I'm actually not near the car right now. It is in St. Louis in a garage and I just moved to Virginia, so I can't check, but I think I remember trying it a few times with the car off and it didn't work either. Should it have worked?
Thread Starter
Launching!
iTrader: (2)
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 272
Likes: 1
From: Palm Harbor, Florida
Yeah I understand what you are saying, I wondered that too because it seemed like the car was a little bit slow to crank. But after the car started, and the alternator kept it running at 14 volts, shouldnt the lights have worked then?
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 555
Likes: 0
From: NearHouston, TX
I've just had a few batt problems in 2012. My Optima red top would decide to take a crap after driving for a while, get somewhere and then need a jump , WTF? Then run fine for a few days, think problem solved then do the same thing! Went with a new yellow top and problem is solved. My wifes 3 year old Mazda 6 started to chirp alarm at night, car would start fine, no other problems, took to dealer they put in a new battery and problem solved.
Trending Topics
Teching In
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 24
Likes: 0
Derek, did you have your battery on a maintainer while your car was in storage or did you charge your battery before you started your car? Did you measure your voltage at the terminals while you were dealing with these issues and if so, were those readings consistent with what you saw on your dashboard meter?
RJDio, I noticed you have an underdrive pulley listed in your modications. Do you know the output of your alternator? My concern is that the new battery may be temporarily masking an underlying issue of the battery not being maintained by the charging system.
Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
www.pinterest.com/optimabatteries
RJDio, I noticed you have an underdrive pulley listed in your modications. Do you know the output of your alternator? My concern is that the new battery may be temporarily masking an underlying issue of the battery not being maintained by the charging system.
Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
www.pinterest.com/optimabatteries
LS1 Tech Stories
The Best V8 Stories One Small Block at Time
6 Common C5 Corvette Failures and What's Involved In Repairing Them
Pouria Savadkouei
Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked
Pouria Savadkouei
Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!
Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP
Verdad Gallardo
Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes
Verdad Gallardo
Awesome K5 Blazer Restomod Comes With C7 Corvette Power
Verdad Gallardo
10 Camaros You Should Never Buy
10 LS Engine Myths That Refuse to Die
Verdad Gallardo Thread Starter
Launching!
iTrader: (2)
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 272
Likes: 1
From: Palm Harbor, Florida
I've just had a few batt problems in 2012. My Optima red top would decide to take a crap after driving for a while, get somewhere and then need a jump , WTF? Then run fine for a few days, think problem solved then do the same thing! Went with a new yellow top and problem is solved. My wifes 3 year old Mazda 6 started to chirp alarm at night, car would start fine, no other problems, took to dealer they put in a new battery and problem solved.
Derek, did you have your battery on a maintainer while your car was in storage or did you charge your battery before you started your car? Did you measure your voltage at the terminals while you were dealing with these issues and if so, were those readings consistent with what you saw on your dashboard
Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
www.pinterest.com/optimabatteries
Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
www.pinterest.com/optimabatteries
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 555
Likes: 0
From: NearHouston, TX
Originally Posted by
RJDio, I noticed you have an underdrive pulley listed in your modications. Do you know the output of your alternator? My concern is that the new battery may be temporarily masking an underlying issue of the battery not being maintained by the charging system.
Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
[url
RJDio, I noticed you have an underdrive pulley listed in your modications. Do you know the output of your alternator? My concern is that the new battery may be temporarily masking an underlying issue of the battery not being maintained by the charging system.
Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
[url
www.pinterest.com/optimabatteries[/url]
Teching In
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 24
Likes: 0
Hey Derek, I totally understand the lack of access you have to your car. The fact that you did disconnect the battery prior to storing it does put you miles ahead of many other folks who store their vehicles for long periods of time. However, I always encourage folks to at least charge their batteries with a battery charger before and after storing them, even if they can't measure voltage at either point, because many batteries are put into storage in a partially-discharged state, even if they are disconnected.
RJDio, we recommend typical alternator output to be in the range of about 13.7-14.7 volts. If your charging system is doing it's job, your battery won't be powering anything when the engine is running. I trust a “Big 3” upgrade is also on your future mods list?
Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
www.pinterest.com/optimabatteries
RJDio, we recommend typical alternator output to be in the range of about 13.7-14.7 volts. If your charging system is doing it's job, your battery won't be powering anything when the engine is running. I trust a “Big 3” upgrade is also on your future mods list?
Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
www.pinterest.com/optimabatteries